Night Surfing
by h50rookie
Summary: Kono gets a birthday present from Steve. McKono.


_Sex Wax. _

Kono held up the bar with a look of amusement.

"Uh. Thanks, boss. I can never have too much of this stuff."

Steve was smiling from ear to ear back at her.

"You got my favorite brand too."

She could have sworn he puffed out his chest a little when he heard that.

It was nearly midnight and they were standing alone together in the empty parking lot of a closed beachfront concession stand. Half an hour ago she was settling into bed when she got the call. Seeing Steve McGarrett's name pop up on her cellphone was usually cause for concern. Crimes and crisis were the nature of their job. But after reassuring her that everything was alright, he cryptically asked her to meet him. When she drove up to this exact spot per his instructions and saw him standing there with his truck nowhere in sight, the red flags were raised. Then when he mischievously handed over the small gift bag, alarm bells went off.

Kono appreciated the gesture but did he really call her out here just to give her a $2 bar of surf wax in the middle of the night? He could have left it on her desk or given it to her earlier in the week when they celebrated her birthday at HQ. The guys all chipped in for a cake (in the shape of a surfboard, of course) and seemed damn proud of themselves for pulling off the little surprise luncheon. She wasn't expecting anything more. Those few precious minutes out of their busy workday with her ohana were more than enough.

Not that she minded seeing him. And seeing him off-duty was a definite bonus. Lately, the stolen glances and smiles exchanged at HQ seemed to happen more and more often. But being the professionals that they were, Steve and Kono knew their limits.

Steve must have sensed her bewilderment.

"There's more," he teased.

"Let me guess. A lifetime subscription to Guns & Ammo magazine?"

That got a chuckle out of him and he made a mental note for next year.

"You'll see. Come on, follow me." He hesitated before saying, "Trust me."

Never had she not.

He led the way and they began walking down the beach. The further they headed away from the main thoroughfare and parking lot (and civilization), the darker it got on the deserted beach. She could barely make out his outline in front of her. He stopped and waited for her to catch up. She felt him reaching out, groping at her forearm before finding her hand. His warm calloused fingers interlocked with hers. She told herself that he was just being helpful as her heart skipped a beat.

They continued walking in silence until they came upon his truck. Parked illegally on the sand, Kono dutifully noted. Beach code violations must be covered under full immunity and means and all that jazz.

Steve let go of her hand and went to open the driver's side door. He leaned in and turned on the high beams. The bright headlights shined straight ahead into the ocean. She saw the scene set up in front of her. There was a pile of firewood nearby. A brand new surfboard with a giant bow tied around it leaned against the truck's front grille and a plain white box sat on the hood.

Steve rummaged around the glove compartment and emerged with matches. He struck one and started to work on the fire. After awhile, the crackling flames began dancing higher and higher up towards the black sky.

Kono stepped in a little closer to feel the heat. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her shorts and tried to play it cool.

"I hope you didn't forget the marshmallows."

He picked up the box and handed it over. "Ready for the rest of your present?"

His face was lit up by the rich orange glow from the blazing fire. He looked deliciously evil.

"I don't know. Am I?" She was going for sexy and flirtatious but her voice betrayed her and it came out sounding a little more squeaky and high-pitched than she intended. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

Nope. He did. Obviously he was enjoying this and couldn't wait to get on with whatever he had planned.

Kono opened the box. A shorty wetsuit.

"Now that you're a year older and closer to middle-age," Hardy-har-har. "I thought maybe you'd like to relive a part of your youth."

He was grinning like a fool. "Don't worry. I won't suspend you for it."

A memory from her younger, carefree days came flashing back. She got defensive.

"Yeah, well they couldn't really even tell that it was me on that video drinking and night surfing."

"Allegedly," she hastily added.

"And-." She paused. A curious look came over her face. "Wait a minute. How did you know?"

"A little blonde birdie told me."

With that, he turned and went to the back of his truck. He opened the tailgate and got his own board and wetsuit.

Kono remembered that stunt she pulled with the salt cake on his birthday. Was this his idea of revenge?

"Are we really doing this?" She remained skeptical.

Steve stripped off his black t-shirt and threw it to the side. There was her answer.

She hadn't done something like this in a long time. A mixture of nervousness and giddiness began to take over.

She unbuttoned her shirt and slipped it off. He was taking her all in as he unzipped his pants. She was doing the same and watching him like a hawk. And oh boy, now he was down to his skivvies. She finally averted her eyes and took off her shorts. He had seen her countless times before in a variety of bikinis. There were no surprises when it came to her toned, athletic body. Yet somehow, standing in front of him in her bra and panties seemed ten times more intimate.

For a moment, the salty ocean air was thick with tension. Getting nearly-naked with your boss will do that. Fortunately, it was broken by their simultaneous laughter over the whole wild craziness of the situation. Suddenly, she did feel like a teenager all over again.

Kono began waxing her board with the first gift that Steve gave to her earlier that night. When she was done, she tossed the bar over to Steve. Afterwards, they pulled on their wetsuits and raced toward the waves, clutching their boards under their arms.

Once they hit the water, Kono felt any last trace of awkwardness wash away. She was completely at ease out here in the ocean. A surfer's natural habitat.

It took a minute or two for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. The big bright moon provided their primary source of light.

Kono was the first to catch a wave. She stood up and rode inside the pitch black barrel. It was a high unlike any other. When it was Steve's turn, she found herself whooping and hollering. God, this was fun. And it got even more fun when their competitive drive kicked in. Who could stay on longer? Who had more impressive technique? Kono showed off her mastery with cutbacks and aerials. Steve wasn't so bad himself with his own raw skill and determination.

It went on and on like this until they lost track of time.

Kono sat on her board and waited for Steve to ride out his last wave. Surfing under the stars and sharing this experience with someone she genuinely liked and cared about, she didn't think it could get any better than this. She was perfectly content. If only she could feel this way forever.

As Steve got closer to her, she couldn't deny that she found him incredibly attractive. Inside and out.

"Thanks for this…for all of this."

He sat up and responded by splashing her. She returned the favor.

"Had enough?"

She nodded and they began paddling back to shore, side by side.

* * *

Kono tended to the fire while Steve went back to his truck. He returned with two towels, a beach blanket, and beer. What _didn't_ he have in that truck of his?

His wetsuit was half off, hanging low around his waist. After he toweled off, his hair was sticking out in all directions.

Kono quickly dried off and put the towel down. When she reached back to unzip herself, Steve was in front of her in an instant. He reached behind her neck and placed his hand over where hers was frozen.

"Let me." He urged her softly.

She held his gaze and dropped her arms down to her sides. He tugged at the zipper. It was stuck. He tried again. No go. Stubborn little bastard. He may have been a Navy Seal but one-second of panic came over him at the thought of being foiled by a freaking zipper. So he stepped in closer, pressed his body up against hers, and gave it one hard yank. The force of the motion made her grasp onto him. She wanted to laugh at his triumphant face but stifled it. Now that he managed to loosen the zipper, he began pulling it down. Slowly.

Steve's hands brushed the bare skin of her back as they made their way up to her shoulders. He slid the suit off, freeing her from the skin tight material. He went to his knees as he peeled the bottom half down. Kono watched him and prayed that her own knees weren't going to buckle underneath her. He helped her out, one leg at a time while she held on to his shoulders for balance.

Finally, the wetsuit was completely off and he looked up at her. She cupped his face in her hands.

Kono repeated a question that she had asked him earlier. "Are we really doing this?"

"I told you there was more, didn't I?"

He stood and now she was the one looking up.

He leaned down and whispered against her lips before kissing her.

"Happy birthday."

* * *

***** THE END *****

**Thanks for reading!**


End file.
